In electrophotographic printing, such as in laser printers and copiers, a pattern of electrostatic charges corresponding to a print image is developed on an optical photoconductor using radiated energy, either visible spectrum light or optical energy outside the visible light spectrum. Conventionally, near infrared laser light is used to develop an electrostatic image on the optical photoconductor. The optical photoconductor is usually a continuous surface such as a drum or belt.
The laser light scans across the charged surface of photosensitive material on the optical photoconductor in a succession of scan lines. Each scan line is logically divided into picture element (pixel) areas and the laser beam is modulated such that selected pixel areas are exposed to light. Pixel size (or pixel space) is defined by a given dot pitch, scan velocity and spot size of the printer. The exposure to light results in the reduction of voltage on the optical photoconductor at those select pixel locations forming a latent image pattern. Subsequently, toner is applied (deposited) onto those pixel locations to form a visible image and this image is then transferred to a print media (typically a sheet of paper).
In many electrophotographic printing devices, the supply of toner, the optical photoconductor and other associated components are housed in a separate toner cartridge that is easily inserted or removed from the printing device. The construction and operation of toner cartridges are well know in the art. Toner cartridges are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication US 2001/0041079 A1 filed Nov. 15, 2001 of Michlin et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication US2001/0055949 A1 filed Dec. 27, 2001 of Katakabe et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,128,448 filed Oct. 3, 2000 of Arcaro et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,224 filed May 26, 1998 of Binder et al., each of which is hereby incorporated by reference for all that it discloses.
Traditional toner cartridges for printers generally employ toner products that leave waste-residue which must be removed to prevent printer malfunction and poor printed product. Accumulation of such waste-residue generally occurs within a waste-residue hopper situated in association with a blade that scrapes the waste-residue from a photoconductor drum located within the cartridge as the photoconductor drum rotates during routine printer operation. This so-removed waste-residue then enters the waste-residue hopper for retention.
Recently, however, new toner cartridges have been developed for printers wherein these newly developed cartridges initially are supplied with non waste-residue organic toner products that leave no waste-residue for collection. As a result, such cartridges no longer include a waste-residue collection site. When a user merely discards these new toner cartridges after their respective toner supplies are depleted, no problem exists since no re-use of such cartridges occurs. However, if the user does, in fact, wish to pursue a re-use program where only waste-residue-producing toner is available for replacement of spent non waste-residue toner, a very significant problem occurs, since no waste-residue collection site is present for the accumulation of such waste-residue. Additionally, of course, no waste-residue remover scraper is present for removing such waste-residue from the photo conductor drum. Consequently, printed work product quickly becomes unacceptable. Thus any toner recharge of such non waste-residue toner cartridges has heretofore been substantially unsatisfactory.